PAPUAN INCIDENT

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1937, Page 7

PAPUAN INCIDENT

FLOODED RIVER IESCAPE.

SYDNEY, April '26

In this second instalment of Ivan Champion’s report on his recent expedition in Papua, he describes how the Hegigio ran in flood. The Hegigio had defeated us. De jeetcdly we returned to the camp. “On the 30th I left with Adamson, six police, and 20 prisoners, to follow a small track parallel with the river.

. For about oO yards the river ran through a gorge 40 yards wide. “It was deep, blit the current was not running more than eight miles an

:ioui\ “W r e were able to throw st; lies tc the opposite side, but could a man swim it? “If he railed to make the other si cl _• he would he swept down out of the calm water into a roaring torrent. “I thought that if we were able to get a hanging platform part of the way across, a man could swim the rest, so in the morning I sent the men out to cut long goru palms. “Eddy Caught Him.” “Katue came down, looked’ at the river, and said lie could swim it. J fold him to wait until we had the staging erected, but he said the river would rise. He wanted to swim it without a line, but I refused. “I made him fasten a strong belt around his waist, and the tow-line was ioubled and attached to it. He won dong the bank to find a su.table diving

place. “Then T heard him hit the water. ] nad the line in my hand. He was .swept .along near the bank, and as he lame opposite me an eddy ca ght him. He was carried swift'y across. “We were ready td cheer. Another stroke and he would reach the bank. Then he was borne swiftly out int > midstream and carried down. “There was a tremendous jerk o t the line as it took his full weight. Hr came high out of the water, then he went down and below, and rose again, and the line went limp. “Belt had Broken.” “T pulled in the line— tup belt had broken. I ordered the pol ce and carriers to follow him along the lank. “We went'up to the camp. T had let Katue go to his death. What wer \*e to do? W T e could not make a lone search for him in that terrible limestone country, even if he should manage to get ashore downstream. “At 3.30 p.m. the search party re

turned. “With them was Katue. I could

not 'believe my eves. “He had grabbed a trailing vine Holding to this, be worked bis way to shore and cl mbed the limeston cliff, The police had found him ex hausted. “Our final effort had failed. “The Hegigio remained muonqner ed.”